Friday, May 15, 2015

Black Balled by Andrea Smith & Eva LeNoir

Summary:
Two dominant males, two worthy adversaries, in a business that takes no prisoners, will soon learn that fate refuses to be ignored . . .

My name is Troy Babilonia, but I'm best known as Babu, a renowned literary critic with my own online column. I'm followed by thousands! I'm a living god in the literary world. I have no filter, and for that, my flock of humble followers are forever grateful. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't know what to read. I have zero tolerance for the weak-minded attention seekers, nor do I have respect for the self-proclaimed geniuses of the Indie world. My advice to all Indie authors is to never break the cardinal rule in this cut-throat business. Ever.

My name is L. Blackburn and I'm an Indie author. My extraordinary genius was loved and worshiped throughout the literary world, until one egocentric critic tried to obliterate my career. It seems I broke some fucking "cardinal rule," and now I'm paying the price for it. But I don't plan on going down without a fight.

After all, when a predator goes after your cub, it's time to go for the throat--and maybe more...much more.

Behind me I hear Larson, “Troy…hey, it’s…”
“Don’t!” I yell, my eyes narrowing as I stalk my prey, my eyes flickering over Floyd’s hot pink shirt. I feel insulted and, for a moment, I debate whether it’s the dandy that should be on the receiving end of my fist or Larson. I quickly decide to strike the nearest prey first. My fist shoots out and cuffs him good with an uppercut to the chin, sending him sprawling backwards, where he unceremoniously lands on one of Larson’s black glass end tables, knocking the lamp to the floor. The sound of glass shattering echoes throughout the room, and I’m not done yet. I move towards him and, realizing he’s still in a daze, I take the opportunity to snatch him up with both hands fisting the collar of his shirt, and shove him against Larson.
“Is he what you want, Larson, huh? You want to fuck the flamer here? Because I can clear out right now so that you and Pink Floyd can take up where you left off before I so rudely interrupted your cozy soiree.”
Larson chuckles and I’m not fucking amused.
At all.
As I focus my gaze on Larson, I don’t catch the quick movement of Floyd as he lunges at me with a growl. “My name is Lloyd,” he hisses, “And I believe I made my position quite clear the last time we spoke. You’re not good enough for my Larson.”
And that’s when I deck him again. Hard. My fist meets his perfectly straight nose, and the sound of crunching cartilage resounds just before his shriek of pain.
“Sir!” he calls out, stumbling backwards, immediately tilting his head upward and placing a palm over his bloodied nose so as not to allow anything to stain his expensive pink shirt. “Sir,” he repeats, “Are you going to permit this?”
Oh. Sir it is, huh? What kind of fucking weirdness was Blackburn into with this dudette? I turn to acknowledge Larson, who is standing there, muscular arms crossed and his sexy drawstring pajama bottoms hanging low on his narrow hips. He’s shaking his head, and I don’t miss the sexy grin.
My. Dick. Is. Hard.
His package is evident and his cock has made a bit of a tent beneath those sweats. Not sure if that’s for me or if the sight of Pink Floyd’s blood is getting him hard.
“Well, sir,” I say, trying to mimic Lloyd’s voice and dripping sarcasm along the way. “Speak up. Who’s it gonna be, huh? Me or your Fifty Shades of Whack over there?”
I watch, a bit confused, as Larson casually strolls over to the kitchen counter and takes hold of his beer before making himself comfortable on the bar stool. The room is silent but for the wheezing coming from the damsel in distress over there. I’m guessing he’s uncomfortably numb in the entire nose region.
“Let’s see,” my soon-to-be-ex-lover begins as he adjusts the rapidly growing erection he is sporting, “Could you start over because the view is much better from here?” Then he takes a sip of his beer and waves his hand as though giving us permission to continue.

Andrea Smith

Eva LeNoir

1. What is the biggest influence/interest that brought you to this genre?

AS: The need to try something "new." The challenge of being able to create two characters that while sharing some common traits, including gender, are otherwise polar opposites in terms of their careers, intimacy, and perspectives of one another.

EL: I love M/M literature but I need for my main characters to be alphas. I really felt as though Nicole Edwards quenched my thirst in this matter. But before I started writing Black Balled I decided to delve into the gay erotica to have the male author point of view. In my opinion, there is nothing more frustrating than a gay male character who could easily be replaced by a female character. Currently, I tip my hat off to Ella Frank who did a fantastic job with Try/Take and more recently, Trust (that I haven't read yet because really...who wants to say goodbye to Tate and Logan?)

2. When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process(outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?

AS: What's an outline? LOL!! The plot development is some much fun, especially incorporating some twists and turns along the way.

EL: I really love the brainstorming. That new feeling when characters start to form in your head, when you get a hint of their voices, their personalities. It's like going on your first date; everything is new and beautiful.

3. When reading a book, what genre do you find most interesting/intriguing?

AS: I'm open to many! Just recently, I've been enjoying the hell out of New Adult!

EL: I love all genres. I really don't discriminate, especially if I'm already familiar with the author's style. But if I had to choose, I would say Dark fiction. Whether it's erotica or mainstream, it doesn't matter. I like losing myself in subjects that make me think on an emotional level.

4. If you could co-author with any author, past or present, who would you choose?

AS: Of course having co-authored with Eva has spoiled me hard. But... if I had to choose another, it would be Harper Lee or the late Kathleen Woodiwiss.

EL: Oh...the choices! Only one? Okay, I'll go for two. It's the best I can do :) First, I would say George Sand. That woman was one ballsy female and writing with her would have been the epic! On a more contemporary scale, I would have to say Paul Auster. I love his writing, his sarcasm and his symbolism especially of New York as a character in and of itself. The man fascinates on a literary level, of course.

5. Have you always wanted to write or did it come to you "later in life"?

AS: I've always wanted to write. Unfortunately, I didn't get the opportunity until later in life! Thank you so much Corporate America- for kicking my ass to the curb in 2012!

EL: I started getting the bug back in my twenties when I moved back to Paris after living in the US for 13 years. I had this story running around my head and started to write it but then life caught up with me and put a halt to everything. When I went back to that original story, I was heartbroken to find that I had outgrown it.

An Ohio native, currently residing in southern Ohio. The Past Tense Future Perfect trilogy is Ms. Smith's first self-published work. Having previously been employed as an executive for a global corporation, Ms. Smith decided to leave the corporate world and pursue her life-long dream of writing fiction.

Ms. Smith's second series, The 'G-Man Series' consists of four novels and a novella. Her 'Limbo Series' is her first venture into a blend of romantic/suspense, mystery with steamy scenes and a paranormal edge.

Ms. Smith also publishes New Adult fiction under the pen name of Graysen Blue. Sins of September & When September Ends.

Eva LeNoir

Eva LeNoir grew up travelling with her parents to various countries in the world. Reading was her constant companion during her travels and her ability to adapt to different cultures fed her mind with endless possibilities. The characters swimming in her head are always from various horizons with a multitude of dreams and aspirations. However, all of these voices always have one thing in common: The women are strong and independent. A true believer in the female cause, Eva's wish is to portray the women in her books as the leaders. She sees them walking hand in hand with their partners and not be the sheepish followers of the male gender. But most of all, Eva LeNoir wants to offer her readers a moment of pleasure as they dive into the world of her mind's creation.

2 comments:

I was given the privilege of reading this book for review which ill be posting shortly to my blog. I will say I was extremely impressed and can't wait to read more from this author and hope I am given the privilege to review again

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